73 



of our Society; and two others, Isaac Bartram and 

 James Pearson, though elected at an early period, 

 are not known to have been introduced. It is rea- 

 sonable, therefore, to conclude that the first four 

 names were elected and introduced, and the last two 

 introduced within the long period for which we pos- 

 sess no minutes. Taking this view of the subject, 

 the chasm in the Junto minutes of three and a half 

 years, is not to be viewed as indicative necessarily 

 of a suspension of the Society, but to be attributed 

 rather to the loss of the records. This is also the 

 opinion of Mr. Du Ponceau, and the Committee is 

 happy to agree with him on this point. 



The draught of revised Laws, prepared by Owen 

 Biddle and Isaac Paschall, was finally passed on the 

 30th of May 1766. They are the Junto Laws, but 

 slightly altered, already alluded to as adopted on 

 the 30th of July 1761. The four qualifications are 

 still retained, but the name Junto is omitted, and 

 the title of the Society, held under advisement un- 

 til the 13th of December 1766, when the name 

 "The American Society for promoting and propa- 

 gating Useful Knowledge, held in Philadelphia, " 

 was adopted. Thus, though the Society changed 

 its name, its Junto organization was still preserved. 



After this period, the Society underwent no change 

 in its name or organization, until the 23rd of Sep- 

 tember 1768, when it became "The American So- 

 ciety held at Philadelphia for promoting Useful 



